Jo Stevens MPhttp://jostevens.co.uk
A Strong Voice for Cardiff CentralMon, 19 Nov 2018 17:17:32 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8http://jostevens.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cropped-labour-logo-32x32.pngJo Stevens MPhttp://jostevens.co.uk
3232Killing of Protestors in Gazahttp://jostevens.co.uk/killing-of-protestors-in-gaza/
http://jostevens.co.uk/killing-of-protestors-in-gaza/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2018 13:19:55 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2174I have been horrified by slaughter of children, women and men by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza. I have publicly condemned the actions of the IDF on the instructions of the Israeli government. I wrote to the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the 31st March demanding to know why he had remained silent on the atrocities that weekend and what action the UK government were taking to hold the Israeli government to account at the United Nations Security Council. I didn’t receive a reply from him. After the further killings this month during the Nakba protests, I received a letter from the junior Foreign Office government minister Alistair Burt, which didn’t answer any of my questions and failed to condemn the IDF or Israeli government.

The use of live fire on protesters is barbaric and a clear and obvious breach of international law. There needs to be an urgent independent investigation into the killings and I was ashamed that the UK government abstained on the vote at the UN to establish one. I listened to a cowardly and unacceptable response by the Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt to an urgent question on the abstention in parliament last week.

I have signed the following parliamentary motions (Early Day Motions) in support of the Palestinian people and condemning the actions of the IDF and Israeli government;

Since you elected me in 2015, I have called for a ban on arms sales to Israel. You can read my speech in the arms trade debate here and I have signed Early Day Motion 1305 calling for a ban.

I believe that the UK should;

Back an immediate investigation sanctioned by the UN Security Council into the actions of the Government of Israel and the IDF in relation to the Gaza killings

Urgently investigate whether British manufactured weapons were used in Gaza and implement a ban on UK arms sales to Israel

Renew efforts to revive the currently moribund two state solution, including pressing the Israeli Government to end the blocakade of Gaza and the illegal settlements in the West Bank

The full statement by Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry MP, is below for information.

“We condemn unreservedly the Israeli government for their brutal, lethal and utterly unjustifiedactions on the Gaza border, and our thoughts are with all those Palestinians in Gaza whose lovedones have been killed or injured as a result.

“These actions are made all the worse because they come not as the result of a disproportionateover-reaction to one day’s protests, but as the culmination of six weeks of an apparently systemicand deliberate policy of killing and maiming unarmed protestors and bystanders who pose no threatto the forces at the Gaza border, many of them shot in the back, many of them shot hundreds ofmetres from the border, and many of them children.

“Throughout that six-week period, the UN’s Secretary General has been calling for an independentinvestigation into these incidents, one that should urgently determine whether international law hasbeen broken, and hold the Netanyahu government to account for their actions. The UK should leadcalls for the UN Security Council to order such an investigation today.

“These incidents must also be the catalyst for urgent and concerted international pressure on theNetanyahu government to lift the blockade on Gaza, and end Israel’s illegal occupation of thePalestinian territories. No longer can Netanyahu act as a law unto himself, under the protection ofthe Trump administration, whose decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem today has furtherinflamed the situation.

“In the meantime, we urge the Israeli forces serving on the Gaza border to show some long-overdueresponsibility to their fellow human beings, and stop this vicious and utterly avoidable slaughter ofpeaceful protesters demanding the right to return to their homes.”

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/killing-of-protestors-in-gaza/feed/0The BBC and the Israel – Palestine Conflicthttp://jostevens.co.uk/the-bbc-and-the-israel-palestine-conflict/
http://jostevens.co.uk/the-bbc-and-the-israel-palestine-conflict/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2018 13:15:22 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2001I get emails from people who support both sides of the Israel – Palestine conflict alleging that the BBC is biased against “their” side and minimising violence by the other side. This reflects the importance of this issue and the deep emotions on both sides of the debate concerning the ongoing violence, injury and death.

It is not for me as a Member of Parliament to set or pressure the BBC on its editorial line. I trust BBC journalists and editors to be fair and observe OFCOMs rule on impartiality for news broadcasters. I accept that the BBC does not always succeed in this regard, but that is a matter for individual complaints and OFCOM rather than for a Member of Parliament to try and dictate individual news pieces. There will always be decicions made about which stories to cover, and this will not always please everyone.

The BBC faces a very difficult job trying to maintain its world class news service in the face of budgetary pressures brought on by the Tory Government’s enforced austerity and approach to the licence fee settlement. This has led to the scaling back of many aspects of its World Service and News output. Despite these constraints, when I scrutinise the BBC Chair and Director General as a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, particularly on the BBC’s Annual Report, I have been impressed with its ability to continue deliver good quality news content. The BBCs Foreign Affairs team has produced BAFTA winning journalists like the former Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, and on the whole their coverage reflects the non-partisan nature of the institution.

That said, the Labour Party has recently announced policy changes relating to the BBC and Parliament’s role in how it funded and its governance. These reflect the feelings of some of the public about the BBC. One policy proposed is the election of lay members onto the board of the BBC to give licence fee payers a direct voice at the top of the BBC.

With regards to the Israel-Palestine conflict, I remain completely committed and the Labour Party remains completely committed to a two state solution along the lines laid out in the Oslo Accords, and it is deeply disturbing that we remain almost as far away as ever from a permanent peace. I will continue to urge both sides to re-open meaningful talks on a long term peace solution which is the only sustainable way to resolve this terrible conflict.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/the-bbc-and-the-israel-palestine-conflict/feed/0Envrionmental Protections as We Leave the European Unionhttp://jostevens.co.uk/envrionmental-protections-as-we-leave-the-european-union/
http://jostevens.co.uk/envrionmental-protections-as-we-leave-the-european-union/#respondFri, 16 Nov 2018 13:09:58 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2171I am deeply concerned about what leaving the European Union will do to our environment and I will work to ensure that environmental legislation is not weakened. I have written a letter to Michael Gove MP, the Environment Secretary, looking for reassurances that the Government will not abandon the targets for water quality set out in the EU Water Framework Directive.

EU rules have always represented a floor below which Governments could not fall, but with the ability for Governments to raise standards higher if they deemed it necessary. That is why I voted for New Clause 63 to the European Union Withdrawal Bill [EUWB] and why I also voted for Clause 7 that would have restricted Ministers abilities to change the law.

I am deeply concerned that without this floor the Government will look to roll back environmental protections under the guise of cutting ‘red tape.’ Some Government Ministers make no secret of their desire to turn us into a Singapore of the North Sea where environment and workers’ rights are simply commodities for companies to do with as they wish. Looking back, prior to joining what was then the European Community, the UK was known as the “Dirty Man of Europe”, with very poor environmental protections and as a consequence an environment that had been damaged.

As the Withdrawal Bill passed I backed environmentally friendly ammendments and consistently opposed giving Ministers powers they could use to harm the envrionment. As part of the European Statutory Instruments Committee I will work to ensure that the enviromental protections are retained, and strengthened where possible as we leave the European Union.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/envrionmental-protections-as-we-leave-the-european-union/feed/0The Future of Funding in Waleshttp://jostevens.co.uk/the-future-of-funding-in-wales/
http://jostevens.co.uk/the-future-of-funding-in-wales/#respondWed, 14 Nov 2018 18:48:46 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2155Today in Parliament I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the future of the Shared Prosperity Fund. After we leave the EU the Fund is meant to replace the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund that have provided billions of pounds to Wales. Despite its importance it has been assigned to the England-focused Department for Housing and Local Government and the Tories have refused to guarantee that it will replace penny for penny the funding being lost. This is emblematic of the chaos and incompetence engulfing Brexit and another reason why I hope we choose to remain.

You can watch my speech here, and read the full transcript below.

Thank you. It is a pleasure to see you again in the Chair today.

Congratulations to my good friend, the hon member for Wrexham, for securing this debate today. He has had far more luck getting this debate than I have had getting answers from the Secretary of State and his conveyor belt of ministers to my 18 questions on the Shared Prosperity Fund over the past 13 months.

In March 2016, during the Welsh Grand Debate I raised the issue of European Structural Funding and what plans the Government had to provide an adequate replacement.

After two years and less than 5 months out from the scheduled exit date, we know precisely 3 things;

we know it will be called the Shared Prosperity Fund

we know it will be run by the England focused Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government and;

we know there will be a consultation at some point

But that’s it. So maybe today – and I appreciate that the Minister is new to his position and I welcome him to it, the latest on a conveyor belt of Welsh Office Ministers – maybe today he could give us more than this superficial information.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Funds (ESF) alone provided £2.1 billion to Wales between 2014 and 2016 and inspired a further £1.1 billion in match funding.

In 2016 I spoke about the importance of Cardiff University’s Brain Research and Imaging Centre in my constituency, which was only possible with £4.5 million of ERDF funding. This brain imaging centre is providing cutting edge research into dementia, schizophrenia and other diseases of the brain. In years to come schizophrenia patients at the University Hospital of Wales and across the country will benefit from treatments improved by, or developed from, research at CUBRIC.

European Union funding is the lifeblood of the three universities in my constituency. It’s why, every single week I have researchers from those universities contacting me with their concerns about the Government’s failure to commit to underwriting funding after the end of Horizon 2020. It’s already impacting on funding bids. They tell me that the Government’s likely salary cap on EU citizens being permitted to work in the UK after Brexit will decimate critical international research collaboration. And still no answers from the Government.

But ERDF, ESF and other EU funding streams haven’t just funded big infrastructure projects like research centres across Wales. Last week I visited 4 primary schools in my constituency.

Every day, the children in those schools have a carton of milk provided through the European Union School Milk Scheme.. Now we know that the Conservative Party has never been a fan of children’s school milk, so can the Minister guarantee to me that the children in my constituency will continue to receive free milk at school every day?

We also know we can’t trust the Government to green light projects for Wales. For example both the tidal lagoon and rail electrification have been ditched by this Government.

From a Welsh perspective, this Shared Prosperity Fund won’t be properly shared, will deliver little prosperity, and contains less funding for Wales than we’ve had as members of the European Union.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/the-future-of-funding-in-wales/feed/0Gambling with Lives: Time for Action on Fixed Odds Betting Terminalshttp://jostevens.co.uk/gambling-with-lives-time-for-action-on-fixed-odds-betting-terminals/
http://jostevens.co.uk/gambling-with-lives-time-for-action-on-fixed-odds-betting-terminals/#respondWed, 14 Nov 2018 11:31:10 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2150Today I met Judith and Francesca in Parliament. Judith’s son Chris (pictured below), who was Francesca’s partner, took his own life last year, aged 25, as a direct result of his gambling addiction.

Judith fought back tears while she told me that Chris had everything in his life; a loving family, girlfriend, a really good job and he was fit, healthy and good looking. Gambling however, particularly on fixed odd betting machines (FOBTs) killed him.

He used to go out of college at lunchtimes with friends. There was a bookies right opposite the college. He would gamble in there. It started to become a problem for him. He became addicted, losing very significant amounts of money. The bookies never refused him.

Judith and Francesca want the gambling industry to be better regulated because the industry is a danger to health and puts people at risk. They want gambling advertising reduced or eliminated. They want the Government to implement a reduction in FOBTs stakes from £100 to £2 immediately.

My colleague Carolyn Harris MP has tabled an amendment to the Government’s Finance Bill (that implements the budget) to ensure that the reduction in stakes is implemented earlier than October 2019. I have added my name to the amendment and well over 100 other MPs from every other political party have done so. The Government is likely to be defeated next week, when we hope to vote on it.

This might seem like a ‘fringe’ issue or campaign. It’s not. Chris’s story is why I used my question in Prime Minister’s Questions straight after the election in June 2017, to ask the PM to commit to legislation against FOBTs.

If the Government continues to stall on taking action at the behest of the gambling industry lobbying (and Tory MPs from Keighley and Tewksbury) there will be more Chris’s and more bereaved families who will pay the cost.

Our vote next week, if successful, will literally save lives. The Government doesn’t need to wait until next week – it could take action now.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/gambling-with-lives-time-for-action-on-fixed-odds-betting-terminals/feed/0Horse Tetheringhttp://jostevens.co.uk/horse-tethering/
http://jostevens.co.uk/horse-tethering/#respondTue, 13 Nov 2018 12:31:13 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2147A lot of people have emailed in about the issue of horse tethering so I would like to take a moment to set out what I have been doing on this important issue. I have raised this issue with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State Michael Gove. I asked the below question;

“… whether his Department plans to review its policy on the tethering of horses, donkeys, ponies and their hybrids; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) making guidance on tethering enforceable by Environmental Officers, (b) introducing a time-limit on tethering and (c) making it an offence to tether an animal in a location that poses a danger to the animal or the public.”

He responded that;

“Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) it is an offence to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare or to cause it any unnecessary suffering. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code). The Code provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their horses and includes a specific section on how to tether a horse. Local authorities have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty or poor welfare. In addition, welfare organisations such as the RPSCA and World Horse Welfare (WHW) may also investigate such matters. If anyone is concerned about the way a horse has been tethered they should report the matter either to the relevant local authority or to the RSPCA or WHW who can investigate.”

While his response was disappointing I will continue try and raise this issue in Parliament. Treating animals properly is a very important issue and one that I feel very strongly about. I absolutely agree with the guidance that you point to from the Department that “tethering is not a suitable method of long-term management of an animal.” There is clearly more work to be done to provide legal clarity on this point.

Since you elected me in 2015, I have been a strong advocate for animal rights. I have :-

Signed the League Against Cruel Sports Manifesto that called for robust enforcement of animal rights law, and a legal requirement for large landowners to be proactive in enforcing the law as well as more funding for non-hunting country amateur sport

Supported an increase in the maximum sentence for animal cruelty to 5 years

Voted in favour of keeping animal sentience in UK law after we leave the EU

Since 2017 I have backed several motions in the House of Commons on animal welfare including;
Early Day Motion 437 that demanded the end of animal testing for cosmetics globallyhttps://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/437

The Labour Party has a proud record of standing up for animal rights. In Government we delivered the Hunting Ban in 2004 as well as the Animal Welfare Act in 2006. I am very proud of this Act which made animal welfare law much more proactive in the protection of animals. The Welsh Government has also been proactive – for instance by looking at a ban on grouse shooting on public land in Wales.

In contrast, the Conservative Government has voted against animal sentience (the idea that animals can feel pain and distress), they have dragged their heels on implementing a ban on the trade in ivory, and at the last election the Prime Minister said she supported bringing back fox hunting.

Unlike the Tory Government that has to be pushed to do anything to protect animals, we are looking for big and bold ideas on animal welfare. Which is why last year we launched our animal welfare plan with over 50 new policies for animal welfare. These would include appointing a Commissioner for Animal Welfare to enforce the Government’s responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and provide the Government with the most up to date research and evidence on animal welfare and animal sentience.

As your MP I will continue to promote animal welfare, including on the practice of tethering horses.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/horse-tethering/feed/0Planting Trees – The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopyhttp://jostevens.co.uk/planting-trees-the-queens-commonwealth-canopy/
http://jostevens.co.uk/planting-trees-the-queens-commonwealth-canopy/#respondThu, 08 Nov 2018 13:35:03 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2112It was a pleasure to join pupils from local schools this week to plant trees around the constituency as part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.

The Woodland Trust provided trees to over 500 MPs to contribute to the tree planting project across the UK and the Commonwealth.

I joined Adamsdown Primary School’s Eco Council, the Nursery Class at Albany Primary, Marlborough Primary School Eco Council and members of the Eco Council at Springwood Primary School to plant saplings which will grow into Silver Birch, Rowan and Hazel trees.

We enjoyed learning together about the best way to plant the trees to make sure they survive, and what the different species will look like when they’re fully grown. I was really inspired by how enthusiastic all the children who helped me are about the environment and being actively involved in their school eco councils. We could all learn a lot from them and do a lot more to help ensure our forests and green spaces are protected for future generations.

Thank you very much to all the schools and pupils who helped me.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/planting-trees-the-queens-commonwealth-canopy/feed/0Preventing Cardiovascular Diseasehttp://jostevens.co.uk/preventing-cardiovascular-disease/
http://jostevens.co.uk/preventing-cardiovascular-disease/#respondWed, 07 Nov 2018 14:18:14 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2103I met with HEART UK in Parliament at the launch of their report into cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its effect on the UK.

CVD is responsible for 160,000 deaths across the UK every year, that’s a quarter of all deaths across the UK. It’s also one of the leading causes of premature death with 40,000 people dying prematurely from CVD annually.

I learnt about how you can prevent CVD by making sure your cholesterol levels are healthy and what cholesterol does. I had a quick and easy blood test to test my level tested and got advice about diet and exercise to help me reduce my cholesterol level.

The Welsh Labour Government has invested heavily in improving CVD care in Wales. Between and 2010 and 2015, hospital admissions for coronary heart failure fell by 21% and the number of people dying from CVD in Wales each year fell by 1,000. This is why, in 2017, the British Heart Foundation hailed Wales as a “world leader in cardiac rehabilitation”.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/preventing-cardiovascular-disease/feed/0Collection for Women in Refugeshttp://jostevens.co.uk/collection-for-women-in-refuges/
http://jostevens.co.uk/collection-for-women-in-refuges/#respondMon, 05 Nov 2018 11:04:21 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2095For the last three years I’ve taken part in a collection of donations for women and children forced to spend the Christmas season in refuges and I’ll be opening up my office as a collection point again this year.

This time of year can be very difficult for people in uncertain circumstances, and a refuge is not where anybody wants to be. Many women and families arrive there having had to leave all of their possessions behind.

If you would like to make any donations, either as a completed shoebox or loose items, please drop them into my office:

116 Albany Road, CF24 3RU

9.30am – 5pm, Monday – Friday

The last day for donations will be Friday 7th December.

What can I donate?

Toiletries, cosmetics and makeup which are new or unused

Items for babies and children

We will try to make sure each shoebox has a luxury item as well as the essentials

Here are some ideas:

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Shower gel

Flannels/sponges

Face wipes

Deodorant

Hairbrushes

Bobbles/clips/grips

Sanitary products

Moisturisers

Perfumes

Body/face creams

Body scrub

Make up

Nail polish/remover/files

Cotton wool

Hairspray

Colouring books/pens/small toys

Nappies/baby wipes

You can either prepare your own shoebox (and wrap or decorate it) or drop in loose items which will be put together into boxes by local organisers. If you do put a shoebox together please make sure the lid can be removed.

]]>http://jostevens.co.uk/collection-for-women-in-refuges/feed/0The Pensions Dashboardhttp://jostevens.co.uk/the-pensions-dashboard/
http://jostevens.co.uk/the-pensions-dashboard/#respondWed, 31 Oct 2018 17:34:34 +0000http://jostevens.co.uk/?p=2007Lots of people have spoken to me about how worried they are about the “Pensions Dashboard”. This scheme was meant to be a Government run website that would let you access all of your pension data in one place. Before Parliament went into recess the Department for Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey gave her statement on the future of the scheme.

She has stated that the scheme will proceed but only if it is led by the private sector rather than the Government. I agree with the Labour Pensions Spokesperson Jack Dromey MP who described this decision as a “cop-out”. McVey has shown that we’ve won the argument on the dashboard in principle as she admitted that it offered a “great opportunity to give people straightforward access to their pension information in a clear and simple format – bringing together an individual’s savings in a single place online.”

But blinded by their belief that private is always best the Tories are putting the whole project in danger by ducking their responsibility to lead the way. Pensions providers have warned that without access to the Government’s state pension data and legislation to compel pension companies to take part the whole project risks being “half baked”.

The Governments response leaves only two options open. Either we get a half formed pensions dashboard that doesn’t include your state pension, or we acquiesce to the biggest ever transfer of personal data from Government to a private company. Both of these options are worse than the secure and comprehensive state run dashboard we could have had if the Government had properly followed through.

I am particularly concerned about the prospect of placing so much personal data from so many people in private hands. As a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Committee I took first hand evidence from people involved in the Facebook data scandal. Their testimony showed how poor private companies can be at protecting data and how once data is leaked it’s almost impossible to stop that data being sold on over and over again.

I and the rest of the Labour Party strongly believe that the Government should have the courage of its convictions. We believe in doing what works and it’s clear that for delivering a large scale, free at the point of use service that requires compelling multiple companies to pool data the Government is best placed to deliver. I would like to reassure you that I will continue to push for the Government to abandon its half-measure and properly back the Pensions Dashboard.

You can access the Governments full written statement to Parliament at the address below.